Never Too Old

Leo Plass Now (left) and in 1932 (right)

A few days ago, 99 year old Leo Plass received his college diploma from Eastern Oregon University in La Grande. Due to the Great Depression in the 30s, Plass dropped out of College in 1932 to pursue a job opportunity in a logging outfit. Plass was one semester away from graduating and starting a career as a teacher. However, back in the Dirty Thirties, teaching jobs paid $80 per month. When a friend offered him a spot at the logging outfit for $150 per month, Plass couldn't pass it up.

If you saw an old man in your class sitting there taking notes and answering questions, what would you think? Are you sure that the first thought in your mind wouldn't be, "What's he doing here"?

If I saw a 99 year-old man in my Social Stats lecture, I would definitely have taken a second look, wondering what he's doing in the lecture hall. I probably wouldn't have smiled at the thought that he felt being 99 years old meant nothing, education is education.

Graduate: Leo Plass

Plass is right. Even if we graduate with a Ph.D., we don't really stop learning. Life teaches us everyday.
So why not go back to school?

I wouldn't doubt that there are plenty of grown adults out there that feel discouraged to go back to school because they either feel "out-of-touch" or too old to be in a sea of 20 something year olds. Basically, Plass just said... Ah eff it, and he went.
Last semester, we had a 46 year old man in our psychology class. Often times, people in the area who are just curious about certain subjects will look up the lecture schedule and attend a lecture, just to learn. So we didn't think much of it.
Midterm comes around and he's sitting next to me. He had no clue what to do with the scantron, so I told him. He looked flustered, nervous and out of his element. I overheard students behind him snickering and rolling their eyes like, "Who doesn't know what a scantron is?"...

Show-offs...

Final exam time comes around and the man is more confident than ever. After getting used to the routine of attending University, he realized it wasn't so bad.

Whatever your age is, whatever reason you never attended/never finished college, at the end of the day, who really cares what anyone says?

At the end of the day, aren't you the one with a diploma?